Wanting to help is not enough
Junior’s father explains the family’s money and travel limits.
“We can’t afford to move there. And there ain’t no school bus going to come out here.” (Alexie 47)Read in the chapter
The aimMr. P says the reservation teaches kids how to give up. What's his proof, and is he right?
Read this week
Chapter 4
Because Geometry Is Not a Country Somewhere Near France
Chapter 5Hope Against Hope
Chapter 6Go Means Go
Close-reading practice
Read first. Make your own notes, then switch on the model highlights in each passage.
Words for this response
Use one word from each of 4 assigned groups. See the groups and sentence examples →
From a highlight to your writing
Notice the words
“And me and every other teacher here. We’re all defeated.”
Margin note
Mr. P includes himself among the defeated adults. His explanation puts responsibility on teachers too, instead of treating the children as the only problem.
My notebook
“Me” = teacher includes himself. Adults shape what school offers.
See note 6 beside the passage · Alexie 42
See the observation become sentences
- What it says
Mr. P says that he and the other teachers feel defeated.
- What it helps explain
The adults responsible for teaching Junior do not feel able to help students succeed.
Your turn: another detail
Underline the money and transportation problems. Write a sentence distinguishing what Junior’s parents want from what they can afford to do.
Test a possible misreading
First thought: Mr. P proves that nobody on the reservation cares about Junior’s future.
Hope shown through help
Junior describes his parents’ wish to help him.
“And my parents love me so much that they want to help me.” (Alexie 46)Read in the chapter
Look again: His parents want to help him. Their support does not erase problems at school, but it prevents us from treating the whole community as uncaring.
Test the claim
Claim
Mr. P says the school teaches giving up.
Supporting detail
He includes the teachers among those who are defeated.
Limit or complication
Junior’s hope and his parents’ support need to be considered too.
Characters
What do their choices show?
Themes
What message is developing?
Change
What is different, and why?
Your evidence is building toward a bigger question
What has leaving the reservation cost Junior, what has it bought him, and was it worth it?
Open the evidence ledger through Week 5 →Test an interpretation
What do Junior’s parents do that complicates Mr. P’s claim? Name one problem they still face.
Compare with one possible explanation
His parents agree to help him attend Reardan because they want a better life for him. That shows they still have hope for their children. Money and transportation still limit what they can do.
Your notebook → your Aim Response
Build your response
Choose your evidence here. Write your sentences in your notebook.
His proof
Use a detail that supports Mr. P’s claim.
Your judgment
Explain how far you agree, and why.
Answer the whole question
Mr. P points to ___ as proof; his claim is ___ because ___.
A starting shape, not the only way to write your answer. Replace the spaces with your own thinking.
Evidence 1 + your explanation
The exact quotation, its context, and its citation will appear here.
What it saysIn my own words, this means …
What it showsThis helps answer the question because …
Evidence 2 + your explanation
The exact quotation, its context, and its citation will appear here.
What it saysIn my own words, this means …
What it showsThis helps answer the question because …
Choose two different quotations. Then check that your writing explains every part of the aim.
Connect the two details
The first detail shows … . But / So / Because … . Together, these details help explain … .
Choose the connector that matches your reasoning: but contrasts, so gives a result, because gives a reason.
See the shape in a complete model
This model answers a related question. Notice where the quotes, explanations, words, and appositives go.
School damages hope
Junior describes his reaction to the old textbook.
“My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud.” (Alexie 31)Read in the chapter
Can help with: His proof.
A claim to test
Mr. P makes a broad claim while speaking to Junior.
“The only thing you kids are being taught is how to give up.” (Alexie 42)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Your judgment.
An exception Mr. P names
Mr. P tells Junior what he sees in him.
“You kept your hope.” (Alexie 43)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Your judgment.
Hope shown through help
Junior describes his parents’ wish to help him.
“And my parents love me so much that they want to help me.” (Alexie 46)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Your judgment.
Teachers share responsibility
Mr. P includes himself and the other teachers in his description of defeat.
“And me and every other teacher here. We’re all defeated.” (Alexie 42)Read in the chapter
Can help with: His proof.
Wanting to help is not enough
Junior’s father explains the family’s money and travel limits.
“We can’t afford to move there. And there ain’t no school bus going to come out here.” (Alexie 47)Read in the chapter
Can help with: His proof; Your judgment.
Keep the whole aim in view. Quoting Mr. P’s claim is not the same as showing his proof. Add an observed detail, then explain how far his claim holds up.
Words of the day 2 points
Use one word from each of these 4 groups. Complete all 4 groups for the vocabulary points. Words separated by “or” are alternatives.
Meaning + one sentence example
decrepit (adjective) — Worn out or in poor condition because of age or neglect.
The decrepit condition of school materials can give Junior reason to question the opportunities his school offers.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
burden (noun) — Something heavy to carry, physically or emotionally.
Travel becomes a practical burden even when his parents support his choice.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
ambitious (adjective) — Having a strong desire to achieve something challenging.
Junior is ambitious because he wants a future larger than the one he currently sees.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
liberal (adjective) — Open to new ideas or allowing people greater freedom of choice.
Supporting Junior’s liberty to choose a school does not give his parents enough money to move.
Original writing example · More word help
An alternative from a listed root family fills the same group. Review words in a practice model do not replace this list. Connect each word to your point; a made-up event is not evidence.
Introduce two people or ideas 2 appositives · 2 points
The words between the commas give another name for the noun.
Mr. P, another name for this person or idea, …
See one that works
Mr. P, Junior’s teacher, visits after the textbook incident.
“Junior’s teacher” and “Mr. P” name the same person or idea. Keep both commas; finish with your own point.
Junior’s parents, another name for this person or idea, …
See one that works
Junior’s parents, the adults helping him consider a new school, also have practical problems to solve.
“the adults helping him consider a new school” and “Junior’s parents” name the same person or idea. Keep both commas; finish with your own point.
Check the response in your notebook
Point to the evidence in your own paragraph before checking a box.
These boxes are a self-check, not a grade. Development reflects how your argument builds and your growth as a writer. Checks stay in this browser.
More evidence and practice
Explore the evidence
Mr. P’s claim
What is Mr. P asking Junior to believe?
His proof
Which details make his warning believable?
Is he right?
Which people or actions complicate his claim? How far do you agree?
School damages hope
Junior describes his reaction to the old textbook.
“My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud.” (Alexie 31)Read in the chapterThemes
What this detail can show
The mushroom-cloud image makes Junior’s disappointment sound destructive. The old textbook leads him to doubt the future his school can offer.
A claim to test
Mr. P makes a broad claim while speaking to Junior.
“The only thing you kids are being taught is how to give up.” (Alexie 42)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
“Only” leaves no room for any other lesson. Treat this as Mr. P’s view and test it against actions in the book.
An exception Mr. P names
Mr. P tells Junior what he sees in him.
“You kept your hope.” (Alexie 43)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Mr. P admits that Junior still has hope. His own words make it harder to claim that everyone has completely given up.
Hope shown through help
Junior describes his parents’ wish to help him.
“And my parents love me so much that they want to help me.” (Alexie 46)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Junior’s parents want to support his school choice. That help complicates the claim that the adults at home no longer care about the future.
Teachers share responsibility
Mr. P includes himself and the other teachers in his description of defeat.
“And me and every other teacher here. We’re all defeated.” (Alexie 42)Read in the chapterThemes
What this detail can show
Mr. P includes himself and the other teachers. His warning is about adults and the school as well as children; it should not become a claim that the children are at fault.
Wanting to help is not enough
Junior’s father explains the family’s money and travel limits.
“We can’t afford to move there. And there ain’t no school bus going to come out here.” (Alexie 47)Read in the chapterThemes
What this detail can show
His parents face money and transportation barriers even while supporting him. Lacking resources is different from lacking hope.
Find more evidence in the chapter
- Chapter 4: Find the name inside Junior’s textbook. What does that detail reveal about the resources the school provides? Pair the detail with the mushroom-cloud quote.
- Chapter 5: Find Mr. P’s account of what teachers were trained to do to Native children and their cultures. Who had power to make that happen? Use his account to test whether giving up is simply a choice the children made.
Keep the whole aim in view. Quoting Mr. P’s claim is not the same as showing his proof. Add an observed detail, then explain how far his claim holds up.
Choose a second quote that adds something
After Mr. P’s claim about giving up, which quotation most clearly adds adults who still want to help Junior build a better future?
In your notebook: explain what your second quotation adds that the first one could not show alone.
Your evidence is building toward a bigger question
What has leaving the reservation cost Junior, what has it bought him, and was it worth it?
Open the evidence ledger through Week 5 →Reading practice helps you prepare. Your Aim Response is the paragraph you write in your notebook. Check that paragraph against the rubric →
Check yourself
Complete the explanation
Use each choice once. These are practice sentences, not quotations.
A strong reader treats a speaker's broad statement as a to examine. Mr. P uses the word , which makes his statement about school especially sweeping. Junior's old textbook offers evidence of : the school's resources have not kept up with its students. Yet his parents offer a when they agree to help him change schools. Their support does not solve the problem of . Put these details beside each other before deciding how much of Mr. P's statement the reading supports; a complicated judgment can be stronger than a simple yes or no.
- Blank 1: A statement that a reader should test against evidence.
- Blank 2: The word in Mr. P’s statement that leaves no room for another possibility.
- Blank 3: Failure to give something the care or resources it needs.
- Blank 4: An example that challenges a statement presented as true in every case.
- Blank 5: The practical problem of getting Junior from home to his new school.
Follow a decision becoming a family plan
Drag the blocks or use the arrow buttons. Keyboard: focus a block and press Alt + ↑ / ↓.
- Dad names the travel problem, and Mom warns about anger from neighbors.
- Junior tells his parents that he wants to attend Reardan.
- His parents ask when he wants to start, and he answers that he wants to go immediately.
- His parents agree to support the transfer.
- They suggest waiting, but Junior explains why he believes he must act now.
Take it into your writing
In your notebook, pair one detail that supports part of Mr. P’s claim with one that complicates it, and write a sentence explaining why both belong in the same argument.
Practice feedback is for you. These activities do not submit a grade.